Speaking to The Green News, Ms
Hinojosa said that Port officials were “appreciative to hear from me”
but did not voice any commitment to stop the proposed project.

Ms Hinojosa continued that she and her
fellow activists in South Texas “don’t want their communities to be
sacrificed” so that “dirty fracked gas” can be exported to
Ireland.

“Right now, the Port of Cork can make a very important decision and drop the Cork LNG terminal project,” she continued. “We’re going to continue to pressure them [as] importing fracked gas to Ireland where fracking has been banned is hypocritical.”

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a process for extracting that gas by drilling into rocks and injecting pressurised water, sand and various chemicals to force out the gas. The majority of LNG exported from the US comes from the fracking industry.

Ms Hinojosa also met with members of the Irish anti-fracking movement, well as members of Extinction Rebellion Cork and teenage climate activists from the rebel county.

The activists, joined by Green Party
Councillors Dan Boyle and Alan O’Connor, held a protest outside the City Council
office and then marched to the Port of Cork chanting slogans including,
“LNG, don’t you dare, Shannon, Cork or anywhere”.

Aideen O’Dochartaigh, an activist with Not Here, Not Anywhere, told The
Green News that her group first contacted American activists in 2017. “We
have banned fracking here, but we are still proposing to import fracked gas
from the US and not thinking about the people there,” she said.

Activists against possible Cork LNG project Photo: Shamim Malekmian

Ms O’Dochartaigh said that she was
optimistic that collaborative initiatives with American activists from South
Texas might discourage the Port of Cork company from pursuing the project. “I’m
optimistic that they will ultimately cancel the project and realise that we can
be investing in renewable energy and there are loads of opportunities for
Ireland to be a leader in doing that.”

Calls for the annulment of plans to import
LNG to Cork became more prominent in the last few weeks following the passing
of a Green Party motion urging the Port to cancel any plans to provide LNG import
infrastructure.

The Port of Cork Company declined to
comment at this time, and NextDecade did not immediately reply to requests for
comment.

The Port of Cork Company declined to comment at this time, and NextDecade did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

About the Author

Shamim Malekmian

Shamim is a Senior Reporter at The Green News and a contributing writer to the Irish Examiner, Cork Evening Echo and the Dublin Inquirer.